Belgrade, 24 November 2000 (RFE/RL) -- One of Serbia's three interior ministers said today that Kosovo's NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers must end ethnic Albanian incursions in the boundary areas between Kosovo and Serbia proper within 72 hours. Bozo Prelevic told a news conference that if KFOR fails to halt the attacks, Serbia will deploy heavy police reinforcements there.

There has been an upsurge of violence in the border area this week, with ethnic Albanians attacking Serb police. An agreement between NATO and Yugoslav authorities forbids Yugoslav or Serb forces except local police to enter a five-km security zone at the Kosovo boundary.

Earlier today, another one of Serbia's interior ministers, Stevan Nikcevic proposed that NATO forces and Serb police join in what he called "police-political" action to curb ethnic Albanian attacks. He said local Serb police could not manage the situation on their own.